Santa Marta De Penaguião

Santa Marta De Penaguião brings together hiking trails, winegrowing and a layered townscape. The short PR7 – Trilho de Santa Marta starts in the centre and leads through vineyard landscapes. Its character is shaped by cultural, historical, religious and winegrowing heritage. If you are considering a trip to the region, you will find both a specific hiking route and themes reflected in the town’s monuments and winegrowing tradition.

Hiking between the town centre and vineyards

The PR7 – Trilho de Santa Marta offers a short route for getting to know the landscape around the town on foot. Its starting point in the centre and its course through vineyard landscapes give it a clear connection to the place. Winegrowing is not the only focus: cultural, historical and religious aspects are also part of the heritage associated with the route. In this way, landscape and local history come together along the same trail.

A different natural setting awaits you farther out in the municipality, on the Trilho do Aguilhão in Louredo. Its diverse flora attracts birds and insects. The trail also passes the River Aguilhão, lined by two mills. The two routes have different focuses: the PR7’s connection to the town is shaped by its starting point in the centre, the vineyards and its diverse heritage; the Aguilhão trail foregrounds flora, wildlife, the river and the mills. This can help you choose a hike based on the theme that interests you most.

Winegrowing and local history

Winegrowing is not just part of the landscape. The wines of Caves Santa Marta are made from selected grape varieties grown in privileged vineyard locations in the municipality. The Adega Cooperativa de Santa Marta also has a long history: it was founded in 1959. At the regional level, extensive vineyards cover a large part of the area of Santa Marta de Penaguião. Together, these aspects give the winegrowing tradition both a landscape dimension and a local historical dimension.

Several monuments reveal the town’s history in different ways. The Cruzeiro da Independência de Santa Marta de Penaguião is a granite monument erected in 1940. The Pelourinho de Santa Marta de Penaguião is in the Manueline style and is classified as an Imóvel de Interesse Público, meaning a publicly recognised cultural property. The Capela de Santa Marta is the origin of the municipality’s current name. Inside is a simple, popular-style wooden altar in the Neoclassical style. Santa Marta is also considered the patron saint of the demarcated Douro region.

The restored Solar do século XVIII is also part of the townscape; today, it houses the Paços do Concelho. A Vindimadeira stands at the southern entrance to Santa Marta de Penaguião. The monument honours the women who took part in the Douro grape harvest and symbolises the essential role of women in the region’s wine culture. Together, these buildings and the monument show different aspects of local history, from architectural heritage to the importance of the harvest.

Viewpoints around the municipality

In the wider area, viewpoints offer different views of the Douro region and the municipal landscape. In Fontes, the Miradouro de São Pedro sits at an altitude of 657 metres and offers a 360-degree view across the Douro region. Also in Fontes, the Miradouro da Senhora da Serra is located on the 1,416-metre-high summit of the Serra do Marão. In Cumieira, the Miradouro de Santa Barbara overlooks the slopes of the Corgo, the Alto Douro Vinhateiro and the Serra do Marão.

Another Miradouro de São Pedro is located in São João de Lobrigos. From there, the view extends across several parishes of Santa Marta de Penaguião and neighbouring areas of Régua and Lamego. This viewpoint has a well-equipped picnic area. When planning your visit, note the place name that follows the viewpoint’s name: the two Miradouros de São Pedro are in different parishes and offer different perspectives.

Practical information

A municipal regulation published in 2025 provides for free admission to exhibitions and arts and crafts exhibitions in municipal tourism spaces. Before planning a visit, check whether the regulation is still in effect. Food and drink tasting areas may also be part of municipal tourism spaces. The viewpoints, hiking trails and historic townscape each offer a different focus for planning your trip. If you are looking for a hotel in Santa Marta De Penaguião, you could consider whether you would prefer to focus your stay on hiking, winegrowing, heritage or the views around the municipality.

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